Chapter 835: Chapter 835: Guardian Portrait
The man with the mustache cleared his throat and said, “Places with strong dark energy are typically battlefields, and what is the most common occurrence on a battlefield? Naturally, it’s the presence of left-behind treasures!”
“Where there is a treasure, there is bound to be looting. This, in turn, leads to a certain reduction of dark energy resources.”
Ethan Smith, sounding a little anxious, said, “Enough with the nonsense, just get to the point.”
The mustached man glanced at Ethan Smith and mysteriously said, “I know of a few large battlefields where the dark energy is so strong that they’ve been sealed off. No one dares to go there.”
“Where?” Ethan Smith eagerly asked.
The mustachioed man shook his head and said, “Don’t even think about it. Even a Martial Saint couldn’t go there.”
“Legend has it that a Martial Saint once set foot there, and the moment he entered, he turned into ashes.”
Upon hearing this, Ethan Smith couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.
The glimmer of hope that had just risen in his heart had instantly disappeared.
“Even Martial Saints were instantly turned into ashes?” Ethan Smith’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Yes.” The mustachioed man nodded.
“And because those battlefields have been sealed off, their exact locations have also been lost.”
Ethan Smith, sounding a bit disheartened, said, “Isn’t that a load of nonsense…”
The man with the mustache shrugged and said, “If cultivation was so easy, it wouldn’t be worth anything.”
Indeed, in the current era, qi resources were the most scarce.
Most of the resources were controlled by the Capital City Martial Arts Association, and the rest were as scant as meat on a fly.
“Ethan, the real resources are still in the hands of the great families.” At this point, the mustached man changed the subject.
“Instead of looking for me, you should try looking for those leading martial arts houses. They definitely know more than I do.”
Ethan agreed, looking at the mustached man and quietly said, “So, I still need to go to Capital City.”
“Correct.” The mustachioed man nodded appreciatively.
Then Ethan asked, “Where do you plan on going next? Will you come with me or…?”
“I’m certainly not going with you.” The mustachioed man gave Ethan a look.
“You’re making enemies on all sides. I don’t want to get involved.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and said, “Be serious. What do you plan to do?”
“Continue to travel and carry out my archeological activities.” The man with the mustache replied with a grin.
Ethan gave the mustache man’s shoulder a pat and said, “Don’t forget about me if you come across anything good. All I want is the dark energy, you can have the rest.”
“Alright.” The mustachioed man agreed without hesitation. He was just in need of a strong helping hand.
After saying goodbye to the mustache man, Ethan set off for Capital City.
At this time, it was drawing close to the new year and the weather was getting colder and colder.
And in Capital City, a rare heavy snowfall had occurred.
Ethan strolled through the snow, taking in the clamor of noise surrounding him.
Children were having snowball fights, building snowmen, while adults on the road were cursing non-stop due to traffic jams or fender benders.
Ethan watched as the scenes of ordinary life unfolded around him, momentarily enraptured.
“If I hadn’t set foot on the path of cultivation, I wonder what my life would be like now,” thought Ethan, as if he’d reached a sudden epiphany.
His state of mind also underwent an upgrade at this moment.
This unexpected development caught Ethan by surprise.
“No wonder those mighty realm cultivators choose to immerse themselves in the secular world when they encounter bottlenecks in their cultivation,” Ethan quietly murmured.
The wide variety of life’s experiences is what truly makes up existence.
Just as Ethan was lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang.
Picking it up, he found the call was from Ricardo Bowman.
He chuckled on the phone, “Mr. Smith, we’re having a banquet. Would you care to join us?”
“A banquet?” Ethan pondered and then agreed, “Sure, where is it?”
Ricardo Bowman laughed, “At my home. I’ll send a car to pick you up!”
“No need for that. Just tell me the address,” Ethan replied.
Seeing that Ethan was determined, Ricardo didn’t insist, gave him the address, and then ended the call.
Ethan was contemplating going to the leading families for resources, and Rick Bowman’s call came just in time.
After ending the call, Ethan hailed a cab and headed to the Bowman family estate.
When Ethan arrived at the Bowman estate, it was already teeming with people.
One can’t help but notice that the Bowman estate was vast in size. In the open plaza, banquet tables were set up everywhere.
The entrance was filled with luxury cars. It was evident that not only the younger generation of the martial arts circle but also the second-generation rich from Capital City were invited.
“Mr. Smith.” At that moment, Darnell Bradley approached and greeted Ethan Smith.
Ethan nodded in acknowledgment and grinned, “This is quite a lively scene today.”
Darnell Bradley chuckled, “Indeed, it’s Ricardo’s birthday today. He throws a grand banquet every year.”
“Birthday? I…I didn’t have time to prepare a gift.” Ethan felt slightly awkward.
Darnell Bradley laughed, “No worries, your presence is enough.”
As they spoke, Darnell Bradley led Ethan to a couch.
Those seated were inevitably the few people that Ethan was familiar with.
“Mr. Smith, sit down. I am going to help Ricardo.” Darnell mentioned.
“Alright.” Ethan nodded slightly.
After Darnell left, Ethan marvelled, “Ricardo really knows his way around socializing.”
Blaise Rhodes, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement, “Yeah, his skills may not be that great, but he loves socializing and has a vast network.”
While they were talking, Daphne Green and Tyler Wright arrived.
“Ethan, what a coincidence that you’re here too.” Tyler Wright laughed.
Ethan nodded at him, acknowledging his greeting.
Afterward, Tyler, along with everyone present, exchanged greetings and finally shifted his attention to Ethan.
“Mr. Smith, could I have a word with you?” Tyler Wright requested.
Ethan didn’t think too much about it, immediately got up, and followed Tyler to a corner.
In a place where no one else was present, Tyler said, “Ethan, didn’t you want to see the portrait of the Guardian? I have a photograph of it.”
“Oh?” Ethan’s eyebrows raised, a strong interest appearing in his eyes.
Tyler took out his phone and showed him a photo.
Then, he handed the phone to Ethan and said, “This is the photo of the Guardian.”
When Ethan took the phone and saw the photo of the Guardian on the screen, a trace of shock crossed his face.